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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bass — low music
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. ball — a great time
  12. present — the time now
  13. can — to be able to
  14. ground — crushed
  15. can — a tin
  16. bass — the fish
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. can — a tin
  19. mine — for digging
  20. present — there
  21. ball — a dance
  22. present — a gift
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com